A Halloween to Remember
by KittyGrl24
Summary: This is Mikey’s last year of trick-or-treating. However, it’s going to be hard to convince Raph to go with him this time. Especially with what Mikey has planned for his unsuspecting brother.


**A Halloween to Remember**

A/N: Welcome to my very first fanfic. I hope you enjoy it.  This was a competition fic for another site. This story is actually about a year old now, but I couldn't post it last year due to its timing. So, with it being near Halloween again, I figured it was an ideal time to post it. ;)

Rating: Nothing more than you would see in the show.

Pairing: Just some brotherly bonding - Raph and Mikey

Genre: Mainly humor

Synopsis: This is Mikey's last year of trick-or-treating. However, it's going to be hard to convince Raph to go with him this time. Especially with what Mikey has planned for his unsuspecting brother.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything except this plot. All characters and places belong to their respective copyrights.

It was the night before Halloween. The lair was dark, except for a scattering of several illuminated Jack-o-lanterns that the Turtles had carved earlier in the week. Their glow cast eerie shadows around the lair. The silence was broken, however, by an argument that was escalating by the second.

"Please?"

"No."

"Pretty please?"

"I said no."

"Pretty please, with sugar on top?"

"For the last time Mikey, the answer is NO!"

"Aw... Why not, Raph?"

"'Cause we're too old now. That's why!"

This argument had been going on for a while. Raphael and Michelangelo were alone in the sitting area. Raph sat on the couch while Mikey stood behind it, leaning on the back. "Well, I'm still very much a kid at heart," Mikey admitted as he came around from the back of the couch to sit next to his brother. He put his hand on Raph's shoulder. "Tell you what, Raph," he tried again. "Why don't _I_ be the kid and _you_ can be the adult?" He was desperately trying to make eye contact with his hotheaded sibling. "Just one more year, Raph. Please?"

Up until now, the red-masked turtle just stared at the darkened television screen. He had turned it off when Mikey entered the room. Knowing that he would not be able to enjoy his programs through his younger brother's ramblings, he didn't even try. Raph finally turned his head to look at him, sighing. "If I say yes, will you stop botherin' me?" he asked wearily, hoping to finally close the subject.

Smiling, thinking he had won, Mikey put on a thoughtful expression, complete with tapping his fingers on his chin. "If you say yes, I will leave you alone for say…one week," he offered.

Raph raised an eye ridge. "One week?" he questioned, then scoffed. "Better make it two, or no deal," he said, pointing a finger at Mikey. "And absolutely NO pranks," he added, poking his finger into Mike's plastron on every word to emphasize his point.

"Aw..." the trickster whined. Raph just narrowed his eyes and glared at him. Mikey, after seeing his older brother's expression, put his hands up in a defensive position, also wanting to end the argument. "Alright…fine," he agreed reluctantly. "Two weeks, and no pranks. Happy now?" he asked, narrowing his eyes slightly.

Raph shrugged, with a hint of a smile on his face. "It's a start," he said. The small smile dropped back to a neutral expression. "So who're you goin' as?" he asked Mikey, genuinely curious.

Mikey pondered this for a moment, stroking his chin again, and said, "Well…I was thinking about Turtle Titan," he answered. "You?"

"Big surprise there." Raph scoffed and rolled his eyes. Then he remembered that his orange-masked brother had asked him a question. "I dunno yet," he answered shrugging. "Maybe as myself."

"Um...how about a little more creativity this year, Raph?" Mikey asked, scratching the back of his head for a moment, as if deep in thought.

"So who would _you_ suggest?" the hothead asked him, crossing his arms and getting more annoyed by the second.

"Hmm..." Mikey pondered for a moment. Then his face lit up in a huge grin. "How about being my sidekick?"

"Oh no," Raph yelled, shaking his head at the absurdity of the suggestion. "There is NO WAY I'm gonna be _your_ sidekick!"

Mikey put his hand on his brother's wrist. "Oh come on Bro, it'll be fun."

Raph scowled and snatched his hand away from Mikey. "Uh-uh. I refuse to be _anybody's_ sidekick! Especially yours!" he declared, crossing his arms.

Mikey gave him an evil smirk and said, "Hmm, well the way I see it, it's either be my sidekick, or say...maybe Peter Pan."

In a flash, Raph sprang to his feet, glaring daggers at him. "What the shell, Mike?! I'd rather take on the Shredder than be that guy!" he yelled, gesturing wildly.

"Well, you asked me for a suggestion, didn't you?" Mikey asked, shrugging.

"Well...yeah," Raph began. "But I was hopin' you were gonna suggest someone WAY less humiliatin'!" Then he remembered something, and smacked his forehead. "Oh, wait a minute. This is _you_ we're talkin' about. Never mind."

Mike ignored the veiled insult that Raph threw in his direction. Instead he asked, "So…are you going to be my sidekick or not?"

"You better make it a whole freakin' month if I gotta do this." Raph said, as he crossed his arms. "And I ain't wearin'no bodysuit or cape, either!"

"So are you going to do it?" Mikey prodded once again. He was extremely hopeful that this was turning to his favor.

"If you agree to make it a whole month without botherin' me, then yeah. But I mean it, no pranks!" the red-masked turtle declared.

Seeing that there was no point in arguing with him any longer, Mikey agreed, and claimed his small victory silently. "Gotcha, no pranks," he said out loud. Then he rose from the couch, pulling Raph with him toward the lair's exit. "Now let's go find a costume for you."

"Where are we gonna find a costume at this hour?" Raph asked, puzzled. However, he seemed somewhat content to let his younger sibling drag him along, for the time being.

"At April's shop," Mikey answered. "She's the one that fixed me up with my first Turtle Titan costume."

"But it's really late. Ain't she in bed already?" Raph asked.

"Don't worry, Bro. I got it covered." Mike answered, still dragging Raph along.

_I know that I'm gonna regret this... _was Raph's last thought before Mikey was practically shoving him through the sewer tunnel on their way to April's place.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The two brothers reached the antique shop. Using the secret entrance Don had found several months ago, they hurried stealthily to the rear entrance of the store. The door was already unlocked, so the two ninjas walked right in and closed the door softly behind them. Raph thought it was strange that April had left the door unlocked, but he decided to let it go, and let Mikey drag him over to the clothing racks. It was mostly dark in the shop, and the clothing racks were way in the back. The turtles would have no problem staying out of sight if someone passing by happened to look through the windows of the shop.

Raph was looking through several racks of clothing. They had been there about fifteen minutes, with little to no success in finding anything. Mike was helping him look, and was getting really impatient in the process. "Hurry and pick something, Raph. I know _ladies_ that take less time than you do to pick out an outfit," he stated, crossing his arms and looking bored.

Raph stopped going through the rack for a moment. He turned and looked at his youngest sibling. "Can it, Mikey," he said wearily, sighing and beginning again to go through the rack. "I'm just not findin' anything here that won't make me look like a complete doofus," he admitted.

Mikey found a mask on one of the shelves next to the clothing racks. He picked it up and looked at it carefully. "Come on Bro, it's Halloween. You're _supposed_ to look different; that's part of the fun," he pointed out. He took the mask, holding it up to Raph's face, an evil smirk on his own. "Besides, it'll be an improvement over the face you usually wear, eh Raphie-Boy?" he taunted.

Raph, however, didn't find this comment amusing at all. In fact, he was pretty much fed up with the whole experience by now. Growling, he slapped the mask away, with Mikey still holding it. "Why did I ever agree to do this in the first place?" he asked himself very quietly, although not quietly enough. The orange-masked turtle could still hear him.

Suddenly, a broad grin spread across the younger ninja's face. "Becawse you wuv your bwother so muth," he said with as much baby talk as he could muster, trying to give Raph a big hug. This brought the costume search to a halt once again. Then, back in his regular voice, he added, "Oh, and the fact that I have to be good around you for a whole month." he chuckled, hugging Raph even tighter. "Remember that, Raph?"

"Get offa me!" Raph snarled, finally dislodging himself from his brother's strong grip. "It was a rhetorical question, Mike. Do you even know what that is?"

"Well, sure. It's um...no wait, maybe I don't." Mikey tried, scratching the back of his head in the process. Finally giving up, he said, "I don't do well with big words, remember? So what does it mean, Raph?"

"Well, it's...uh... Well, it's like this..." His explanation bogged down, and he, too, gave up. "Um...you know what? I ain't got the time to explain it to you right now. Let's just find this stupid costume and get outta here!" he said impatiently, starting to go through the rack once again.

Mikey wasn't ready to dismiss the subject yet. "So do you actually know what it is?" he challenged, putting the mask back on the shelf.

"What _what_ is?" his brother asked, his patience wearing extremely thin.

"A rhetorical question," Mike answered. He knew his hotheaded brother's temper wouldn't allow him to keep this up much longer.

"Yes, Mikey. I do," Raph answered, trying to keep his cool. He wasn't sure how much longer he could tolerate his younger brother's antics. "If you really wanna know, go ask Donnie sometime," he suggested as calmly as he could. _Just keep it up, Mikey..._

"Why? Is that who you learned it from?" Mikey asked him.

Raph sighed. _He just won't quit!_ he thought. "What is this, twenty questions?! That ain't none of your business!!!" he snapped. "Now drop it already!"

Seeing that he wasn't getting anywhere with Raph's current mood, Mikey sighed and decided to drop the subject. He resumed his search for his brother's costume. On another rack, he spotted a chicken costume. From head to almost toe, it was covered in white feathers. The feet were attached, and so was the head. Mikey couldn't resist seeing how his hotheaded brother would react to the sight of the chicken suit. Even more, he couldn't resist seeing how his brother _looked_ in said suit. With an evil grin on his face, he picked up the costume and brought it out to show Raph.

"Hey Raph, how about this one?" he called, holding out the costume.

Raph stopped briefly to look at what Mike was showing him. He took one look at it, and shook his head in disgust. "Forget it, Mikey," he said narrowing his eyes.

"Aww come on, it's perfect! Hey, maybe it'll soften you up a bit, too," the orange-masked turtle joked. He knew he was really pushing it, but he couldn't resist. It was so much fun taunting Raph this way.

The hothead growled again, trying to keep his temper in check. "I said forget it, Mike!" he shot back.

"Alright, fine," Mikey surrendered, putting the chicken costume back where he found it. "Jeez, this is the last time I go shopping with you," he said, crossing his arms.

_All right, that's it!!!_ What little thread of patience Raph had managed to hold on to had finally reached an end. "Hey, _you're_ the one who wanted to do this stupid trick-or-treatin' thing in the first place!" he snapped back, whirling on Mikey. "Why didn't you ask Leo or Donnie to take you? Shell, even Splinter probably would have agreed! Or better yet, why didn't you just go by yourself?!!!" he yelled.

"Because I wanted to do it with you!" Mikey shot back, finally fed up with the hothead's attitude. He grabbed Raph's upper arms, forcing the red-masked turtle to look him in the eyes. "Sure, I _could_ have asked the others, but I wanted _you_ to be my sidekick this year," he said, shaking his brother's arms slightly.

"So you _planned_ all this? You knew all along that you wanted me to be your sidekick?" Raph questioned in total disbelief.

"Yes," Mikey's responded meekly, releasing his older brother's arms. He then turned his back to him.

"So what about our deal, then? Did you plan_ that_ too?" Raph asked, still in utter disbelief.

"Well, the one week thing, yeah," Mikey admitted, his back still toward Raph. "But I was willing to do whatever it took to get you to agree and go along with it."

All the anger that Raph had felt moments ago deflated in an instant. "Mikey…I…I don't know what to say," he said, in a much more gentle tone. "It really means that much to you, huh?" he asked, putting a hand on Mikey's shoulder.

"Yeah," Mikey said, nodding and looking at the floor. "Raph…I know that I annoy you sometimes, and pull mean pranks on you." He turned and looked up at Raph, causing the red-masked turtle's hand to slip off his shoulder. "But I want to spend my last year of trick-or-treating with you. It would really mean the world to me."

Smiling a little, and putting his hand on Mikey's shoulder again, he said, "Alright, Bro. If that's what you want, I'll go with you." Then his expression turned serious. "But I'll warn ya now, if you do _anything_ to embarrass me tomorrow night, it'll be the last thing we'll ever do together," he said sternly, giving Mikey's shoulder a firm squeeze, emphasizing his point. Then he let go.

"Deal," Mikey said with a nervous chuckle. "And Raph?

"Yeah?" Raph said softly.

"No more complaining, okay?" Mikey said, relieved that the storm that was his brother's temper had finally blown over.

"Okay, no more complainin'," Raph agreed, his expression turning softer again.

Mikey's face split into a huge grin. "Good. Now…let's find that costume," he said, once again resuming the search. "You sure you don't want a bodysuit, too?" he challenged, stopping once again to see his brother's reaction.

"Mikey…" Raph warned with a scowl. Mikey winced, hoping that he didn't set Raph off again. "I told you, no bodysuits," Raph finished. Then his scowl transformed into a genuine smile. "However, I think I _can_ deal with a cape. Just this once."

Alright…now we're getting somewhere!" Mikey grinned. "Then I have _just_ the costume for you."

After Raph tried on his costume, they left the store, retracing their path of entry.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The trick-or-treating went really well the following night. Mikey collected a whole bag of candy. Even Raph, who didn't do any actual trick-or-treating, received several pieces at a few houses. When they returned to the lair, they were once again alone. Everyone else was already asleep. The two ninjas crept in stealthily when they returned, so they wouldn't wake the others. Mikey made his way to the kitchen and put his candy bag on the table. Raph followed.

"Wow, that's sure a lot of candy we got tonight," the Turtle Titan said as he removed his costume hood. "Feel free to grab some if you want," he offered.

"Nah, I'm good for now, thanks," replied the now black-clad turtle, shaking his head. "I have to admit, Mikey, it wasn't half bad." He removed his own costume's black hood, revealing the ever-present red bandana.

"Yeah," the younger brother agreed, nodding. "So did you have fun?" he asked.

Raph put his arm around Mikey's shoulders in a semi-hug. "Yeah Mikey, I really did," he answered truthfully. "How about you?" he asked as the two wandered back into the sitting room.

"The best, Bro," Mikey answered. "So, are you ready to take that costume to the streets for some real crime fighting?" he asked eagerly, already knowing the answer, but trying anyway.

"Not on your life, Mike," Raph smirked, narrowing his eyes a little, squeezing the younger turtle's shoulders.

"Well, it was worth a shot," Mikey said, shrugging. He figured that was going to be the answer.

Raph chuckled a little and released him. "Yeah. Well, I'm goin' to turn in now," he announced with a yawn. "Goodnight." He turned and started toward his room.

"Night. And Raph?" Mikey said, remembering something he had to say to his brother.

"Yeah?" The red-masked turtle responded as he turned again to face Mikey.

"Thanks," Mikey said sincerely.

"Anytime, Bro," Raph said, walking back to Mike. He put his arm around Mikey's shoulders again, and pulled him close. "Say…don't tell anyone about this, alright?" he whispered into Mike's ear.

"Right. Your secret is safe with me," Mikey promised. "Hey Raph?"

"Yeah?"

"Do I still have to agree to that deal we made earlier?" Mikey asked.

"We'll talk about that in the mornin', okay?" the red-masked turtle answered, grinning. He gave Mikey one final squeeze, and then let go. Then he made his way to his room.

"Alright then, goodnight," Mikey said.

"'Night, Mike," Raph said quietly from his doorway as he slipped into his room.

Mikey sat down on the couch and recalled the night that he and his brother had shared. He still couldn't believe that Raph had actually agreed to go with him. It was truly one of the best Halloweens ever, and he would never forget it. Still he couldn't help wondering if he could get away with it for yet another year. He would worry about that next year. For now, he would just remember the great time the two of them had this year. With that final thought, he stood up, yawned, and headed to his own room for the night.

_Yep, it was definitely a night to remember…_

**The End.**

A/N: If you would kindly leave me a review for this, it would be very much appreciated. I'd like to know how I did on this story. Constructive critism is also welcome. Thanks! :)

I have to admit that I think my writing has improved a bit since I wrote this, so I may redo this story at a later date or even expand it. I had some strict guidelines with the competition, so I was limited on several things.

Anyway, thanks for reading! :D


End file.
